MPLS Bike Co Introduces the Full Carbon – Murphy

Hot News from the Winter Bike Expo in Minneapolis!

Kevin Ishang., owner of Freewheel Bike, announced the founding of a new fat-bike company called appropriately, the Minneapolis Bike Company. We were then treated to the unveiling of their new, fresh from the skunk works ‘Murphy’ full carbon Fat-Bike prototype.

The Murphy features raised chainstays coupled with a standard width MTB bottom bracket shell that allows the bike to run Sram’s XX1 drive train as well as any number of drive train options like, belt drive. The Murphy has a 170R – 135 F hub spacing. The proto came in weighing 27pounds and Kevin thinks they can shave a full pound off of that on their production frames. The price for the new carbon frame will be $2,400 and it will be manufactured right in MPLS, MN.

Raw Carbon that can be painted any color you want!

Paragon Sliders and XX1

The Minneapolis Bike Company – Murphy

If you would like to know more about this groundbreaking new carbon fat-bike contact Freewheel Bike

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24 Responses to MPLS Bike Co Introduces the Full Carbon – Murphy

Some cool stuff going on there, I like the elevated chainstays especially. Paragon dropouts could allow for internally geared hubs or adjusting rear-wheel fore-aft position for larger tires or snappier handling.

However, I don’t think XX1 is a good fit for fatbiking at the moment. the lowest gear possible, 30×42 is only about as low as 24×34… which I can barely push up some of the hills around here on a standard MTB on hard dirt, let alone a fat bike in the snow. If SRAM came out with a 28t ring for that system then we’d be talking… and it’d be a good fit for trail/all-mountain too.

You’re forgetting that a lot or SRAM’s cranks are built with removable spiders. Aftermarket one-piece spider/rings will soon follow. If you want lower–pick any crank with a single ring. He’s already running the spider on an XO not XXI crank.

Given a fatbike is essentially a motorcycle with no engine, I would prefer a maker focus on weight reduction. Personally, I like the aesthetics of engineering and design over “style and fashion”. Throw some paint on this Murphy and I’ll take it to the dance.

Low weight is a plus, better choice of bbs and cranks and reduced q factor are good. Ability to easily do funky offsets rocks, But, the best part of a carbon fat bike is you can lick it on a cold day without your tongue sticking!

Nice addition to the Fat world. Good work. Looks a bruser :). I have reservations ‘tho about the standard BB. I can see the attraction in being able to fit a huge choice of high end cranks but it looks to me that the tyre/chain clearance is a bit tight in low gear ratios and the option of wider rims could be an issue. Also because it’s carbon fibre, as Heath states, having your tongue not sticking to the frame in freeze conditions is a major advantage.

I find it interesting that a bike shop has the ability to turn out even a small quantity of these frames at any given time. Tell us where you are manufacturing them in Minneapolis. When can we come for a visit of the facility? Thank you.

9:zero:7 and Fatback are both brands produced by bike shops that started their own Fat-Bike companies. So in a way, the new MPLS Bike Co is following a tradition for Fat-Bike manufacturers. You should contact Jake or Kevin at Freewheel Bike with these questions.

normal q factor is very interesting….I wanna test ride one (stock and with extra weight) side by side with mukluk to see how the regular crank position affects power. Kevin really loves Murphy Hanrehan doesn’t he.

Can someone explain how e stays allow for the use of std bb width? The chain line is the chain line irrespective of where the cs’s meet the st… No? The limiting factor is preventing the chain from rubbing the tire, no? I realize it’s 1×11, but is that what’s solving the chain-tire interference and the e stays have nothing to do with it?

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